Students from Tokyo University traveled to Rikuzentakata for a 3-day session to help local students with their studies and interact with the kids. Kodomo no Empowerment has been carrying out this program each year to engage and support kids in this community as they and their families continue to recover from the 3/11 disaster. ... See MoreSee Less

Earlier this month, Rikuzentakata celebrated the Tanabata Festival. Most of the traditional elaborate floats used in the festival were destroyed in the 2011 disaster, but they are almost back to full numbers now.

The festivities took place in the downtown area that is still under development. Rikuzentakata is expected to finish its massive project to raise the elevation of the town's center by roughly 12 meters in FY2018, allowing the next phase of rebuilding and recovery to begin. ... See MoreSee Less

As part of the TOMODACHI Initiative, our friends at the U.S.-Japan Council are welcoming a delegation of nurses from the Tohoku region for an exchange focused on disaster nursing training. They are working with the Children's National Health System in Washington DC and Johnson & Johnson on this wonderful initiative.

If you are in the DC area, please join them for a reception to welcome the group and hear about their experiences.

After extreme flooding and landslides hit Kyushu last week, killing dozens and displacing more than 1500 people, many of the great organizations that we worked with after 3/11 sprang into action to assist once again.

AMDA, a medical association, was one of the groups that jumped in to help, along with relief groups such as Japan Platform （ジャパン・プラットフォーム）, ピースウィンズ・ジャパン Peace Winds Japan, and AAR Japan. We appreciate all of their hard work to assist those in need! ... See MoreSee Less

Kyushu Heavy Rain Disaster (Japan) - 2-3
AMDA’s joint relief team with Soja City Government (AMDA’s longtime collaborator) withdrew from Asakura City (Fukuoka) after completing the mission on 09 July 2017. Asakura was heavily devastated by floods and landslides due to the torrential rain which struck Fukuoka and Oita Prefectures in the Kyushu region, Japan’s southwest.
The team brought in aid goods such as electric fans and cardboard beds to the evacuation shelters in Haki district where evacuees from stranded communities have sought refuge after getting rescued by a helicopter.
A field assessment conducted by AMDA team revealed that there was no immediate need for extra medical assistance as local medical facilities were functioning well in the city. The citizens could rely on local hospitals for medical consultations and treatment.
On the one hand, it is likely that the evacuation life will be prolonged considering the number of destroyed houses. The installation of cardboard beds was accepted based on AMDA’s experience in last year’s Kumamoto earthquake in which still a number of people have been living in a temporary housing unit even a year after the disaster.
An evacuee in her eighties said her house was washed away but it simply could not be helped. “I just feel lonely because my two sons have been living outside the prefecture. The eldest son may want to take me home to live with his family. But to be honest, I want to remain in my neighborhood if the local government is going to set up makeshift houses.” Another man in his seventies said he spent a night standing inside his house because the floor was underwater.
Even after the withdrawal, AMDA will keep an eye on the local situation as rain is expected to continue in the coming days.